1. Understand church membership is for BELIEVERS. Churches should be careful to allow only genuine believers into the covenant of church membership.

• Because of WHO the church is:
  By definition, the church is the gathered people of God unified by faith in Jesus Christ

• Because of HOW the church operates:
  The growth of the body comes from Christ. {Ephesians 4:15-16}

• Because of the COVENANT that membership signifies:
  In limiting membership to Christians, the local church protects its flock from being infiltrated by "wolves in sheep's clothing." {Acts 20:29}

2. Understand church membership is for BELIEVABLE believers. In discerning who is a genuine believer, the most reliable criteria we have are the fruit of godly character and actions.
Why demand such fruit?

• Because Jesus advises us to do so. {Matthew 7:15-20; John 15:1-11; Galatians 5:22-23; James 2:14-26; 2 Peter 1:4-11; 1 John 3:10}
• Because other criteria are unreliable. {Matthew 7:21-13}